


Division

by thelionheartqueen



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7393357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelionheartqueen/pseuds/thelionheartqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hellbent on obtaining the Lumen Histoire, King Ivan of Fiore sends his son, Laxus, to kidnap someone who may have knowledge of it. Makarov's loyal right hand and barmaid, Mirajane, seemed like a wise option, initially.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

Laxus Dreyar stalked the halls of the palace with a heavy frown, his loyal guards following behind him. He usually did not like to be in this place, preferring to travel to accomplish tasks or spend time in his personal training home, secluded away in the mountains and far from the clutches of the court. He could not refuse a summon from the king, however, not when it had come directly from him. Laxus was loyal to him as King of Fiore firstly and foremostly, and as a father second. Their relationship as family members was strained, but he did his duties as requested. He was going to be king himself one day, so it was better to comply for now.

The halls had been remodeled somewhat from when his father took over, whimsical art of fairies and light long since removed, replaced with dark and imposing portraits of heroes and the royal family. Windows had been covered with lavish and dark velvet drapes, and there was an increased focus on utility rather than beauty. Laxus almost considered it a completely different place, stripped away of a warm energy and feeling of home, replaced with a tense and competitive atmosphere. He attempted to spend as little time there as possible, hating the king’s servants and their petty backstabbing.

His grandfather had once ruled with compassion and generosity to all the people of Fiore and other kingdoms, but his father found this to be a weak stance against increasingly aggressive neighbor nations who wanted nothing more but to carve out larger and larger portions of Ishgar for themselves. He persuaded the Citizen’s Council that his father had gone senile in his long reign, and that it was time for a new king, one who would not falter in the face of warmongering nations.

After attaining the throne, Ivan made quick work of removing the Council, and cast his father out of the palace, the same way Makarov had cast him out when Laxus was young. The two men had never spoken since, often using Laxus as a go-between. He resented it somewhat, but Ivan encouraged him to have a relationship with his grandfather, often sending him to visit the old man, with the hopes Laxus may gain his trust.

Entering the throne room, Laxus looked to his father, seated at the throne and waiting for him. With crossed arms, he scowled at the person also standing at the foot of the dais, before finally greeting the king. “Yeah, what is it?”

“My, Laxus, is that any way to speak to your king?” Ivan asked, tapping his fingers on the throne. “Aren’t you excited for the task I have for you? You’re always eager to go off on quests, after all.”

“I’m thrilled,” Laxus replied in a frustrated tone, looking anything but. “What is it?”

Ivan eyed his other guest, who still stood there, a mage by the name of Gajeel Redfox. Smirking, he waved a dismissive hand towards the Iron Dragon Slayer. “Leave us, Gajeel. I’ll send for you later with new instructions.”

The other man nodded and turned to take his leave, meeting Laxus’ glare as he walked away. The man’s irises were blood red, and though Laxus didn’t show it, it gave him a sense of unease deep down. Once Ivan was sufficiently satisfied that he was gone, he looked back to his son. “Just as Makarov still hasn’t trusted you with information on the Lumen Histoire or its whereabouts, Gajeel has not turned up anything in regards to it either. I’ve decided on a new tactic,” the king explained, frowning.

“Are you sure it even exists?” his son questioned then, tired of his father’s seemingly useless laser focus on obtaining Lumen Histoire, the weapon that was supposedly the key to obtaining the conquest Ivan longed for.

“I’m certain. The first queen, Mavis, created it. When Makarov left the castle, he took it with him to his dump of a guild. It’s a powerful weapon, and I want it returned to its proper home.”

“What do you expect me to do, eh? Tear the damn place apart?” Laxus asked, rolling his eyes. The place got destroyed practically every other week anyway, thanks to his grandfather’s dumb guild members. If nothing had turned up in their many remodels, there must be nothing to find.

“No, Laxus, that is extremely uncreative,” Ivan said with a scowl. “I need you to take one of his ‘children’ into custody. He seems to favor them above all, surely one of them must know, in case he croaks. Bring them here, and I’ll have them questioned. If you perform well, maybe you can even do it.”

“You want me to kidnap a member of Fairy Tail?” That gained an eyeroll from the prince. His guards behind him shifted uncomfortably, all former members. The guild once had a reputation of being a place where the young royalty would spend time to learn magic and serve the common people, as it had been the guild of Mavis, the Uniter Queen. It’s reputation had since diminished from the days Laxus spent there in his youth. “Don’t you think Gramps would retaliate in some way?”

“Not if he doesn’t know it was us. Frame someone if you have to, I do not care. I just expect that you pick a knowledgeable member. You should have an idea after spending so much time there,” Ivan argued with a coy smirk, as if testing him somehow.

“If he won’t tell me, I don’t understand why you think he’d tell someone else,” the prince shot back. “Gramps seems trusting on the surface, but he’s still a secretive guy.”

Ivan glared down at him, clenching his fist. “Your grandfather has no concept of loyalty to one’s blood. I realized that young, Laxus, when he preferred other children of the court to his own son, his heir. No matter how much I told him I thought I was ready for the throne, he refused to retire. Look where its gotten him. He spends his days boozing up with peasants, stripped of his title and prestige. It would not surprise me if he’d let it slip to one of those damn drunkards.”

“If that were the case, it’d be impossible to figure out which one would know,” Laxus grumbled, irritated with the whole conversation. It was exhausting to hear Ivan rail on about the adversity Makarov piled upon him for the umpteenth time. There was a small part of him that didn’t want to believe these things either, as he was once close with his grandfather before his father was cast out of the palace. A tiny place of mercy sat in his heart that just wanted to let the old man live the rest of his days in peace.

“There must be someone he trusts,” his father growled, becoming more and more on edge, his knuckles tightly grasping the arms of the throne. Ivan was terrible at keeping his composure when it came to this, and sometimes his son wondered if it had driven him mad.

Laxus frowned, thinking long and hard. A person did come to mind, though he was extremely hesitant to share the information with his father, having once held respect for them. “There’s this…bartender. She’s practically Gramps’ right hand, helps him constantly, looks after him. She might know.”

“Bring her to me.”

Taking this as his cue to finally leave, he exited the throne room quickly with nary a word. Storming down the hallways, he heard his guards on his heels, struggling to keep up.

“You plan to kidnap Mirajane Strauss?” his captain, Freed Justine, asked, once he felt it was safe to speak freely. “Isn’t she quite powerful?”

“She was once,” Laxus replied, trying to quash a small, yet nagging sensation of guilt in the pit of his stomach. “She hasn’t used her magic since her sister fell into a coma. Usually, it’s a damn shame, since she’s stronger than a lot of the clowns who hang around there, but in this case, it’s helpful.”

“The girl in the coma, isn’t her name like Lisa or something?” Bixlow, one of his guards asked, trying to wrack his brains. It had been years since Laxus’ retainers left Fairy Tail, though they did visit whenever Ivan sent Laxus to make nice with Makarov. The wooden dolls behind him all excitedly shouted “Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!”

“It’s Lisanna,” Evergreen corrected from the back of the group as they ascended the spiral staircase leading to their lord’s personal tower. “Her oaf of a brother speaks of her incessantly.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Laxus said, opening the door to his quarters. “Let’s get to work. I wanna get this over with as quickly as possible.” Another small wave of guilt washed over him, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from following orders.

* * *

 

 Mirajane Strauss had woken up to the best news. Her younger sister, Lisanna, who had been in a coma for two years now, had finally woken up late last night. Walking with Elfman down the road, she could not help but feel nervous. So many times it had crossed her mind that her sister may never wake up again, and now she felt silly for even considering it. Her little family was going to be whole once again.

Elfman had been certain she would wake up, probably holding onto to any hope that would keep him from being excessively guilty about the whole situation. The siblings had been on a mission, when Elfman had lost control of his Beast Soul Takeover and injured Lisanna. The resulting head injury had caused her to be comatose ever since. The unflinching optimism probably helped to keep him sane.

“I’m scared, Mira,” Elfman murmured, clutching her hand in his much larger one. He was trembling. She patted his shoulder understandingly, as he continued. “What if she hates me?”

“I don’t think she’ll hate you, Elfman. She might not even remember what happened,” Mirajane assured, as they approached the hospital. “Besides, I’m sure I’ll really confuse her. I’m almost a different person now.” After the accident, she couldn’t find it in herself to use her magic anymore, and threw herself into work at the guild to cope. It was Makarov that forced her to stop withering away at her sister’s bedside when it became apparent Lisanna wouldn’t be waking up for a while. Not everyone felt it was the best way to use her skills, but somewhere along the way she changed from a foul tempered teenager into a sweet little barmaid. Elfman once remarked that she was like their mother reborn, but she refused to dwell on it much.

“Even if she doesn’t remember, I will! How am I supposed to face her after making her lose two years of her life?” Elfman argued, already starting to tear up. “I’m her big brother, I’m supposed to protect her. To keep her safe, not give her traumatic brain injuries!”

“And I’m the oldest, I’m supposed to protect both of you. Let’s just see how she’s doing and take it from there, alright?” she replied, walking the long familiar path to Lisanna’s second floor room. “Baby steps,” she reminded, trying not to reminisce on her own failures as a guardian.

As they approached the room, their paces picked up and they began walking faster and faster. Mira found her heart pounding in her chest in anticipation, as she opened the door and stepped through the threshold. Porlyusica turned around to see them, blocking their view of her as she scowled at their noisy entrance. “She’s sleeping,” the healer said, revealing their sister’s prone form. Mira felt her heart sink.

“I…heard she was awake?” came her weak voice, the feeling of tears pricking at her eyes. Elfman stood, shell-shocked.

“She’s no longer in a coma, but she’s now sleeping. This is normal for coma patients. Her ability to stay awake will improve gradually throughout the next week,” the grumpy guild healer explained, continuing to check on the girl. Relief spread over Mira, and she approached the bed, taking her sister’s hand.

“Thank goodness,” she whispered, tears now falling down her face. Elfman was still in the doorway, bawling like a baby.

Porlyusica cast a disapproving glance Elfman’s way, before addressing the eldest Strauss once again. “I’m going to report to Makarov on her condition now. He asked me to check on her myself.”

“Thank you.”

Stepping out of Porlyusica’s way, Elfman approached the bed as well, crying as he always did. “I was...s-so worried that she f-fell back into a coma again.”

“Me too,” Mira affirmed, squeezing the girl’s hand. “But if Porlyusica says she’s ok, then she is ok. Master trusts her, and so do I.”

Elfman nodded. “You’re right as ever, Mira. You’re a real man,” he sniffed, starting to calm down somewhat. “I can’t wait for her to see everyone at Fairy Tail again. They’ve all missed her too.”

“How could you not miss her?” Mira giggled quietly, gazing at her sister’s peaceful face. “Even though she was a brat sometimes. Who wasn’t though at that age?”

The two sat at her bedside for a few hours, waiting for her to wake up again, not unlike their usual vigils over her. Every minute passed with agonizing slowness, and the hushed conversations the two had didn’t help too much. A nurse would occasionally check in on the situation, explaining how she may be confused or unable to speak well at first.  Even though they were excited, Mira knew that they would have to be very gentle speaking to her, so as not to immediately overwhelm her. It was a little frustrating to wait more, after all the waiting they’d already done, but she knew it was worth it today.

Finally, while Mira and Elfman debated whether or not they should leave to get some lunch, her eyelids fluttered slowly, and Lisanna’s eyes opened for the first time in their memory in two years. The girl looked at both expectant faces with slight confusion on her own. Their breaths caught in their throats. Time seemed to stop for a moment.

“Lisanna, you’re awake,” Mira said gently with a smile, eyes tearing up. Elfman began to cry again, as he always did. Lisanna blinked before a small smile crept on her lips.

“Mira. Elf,” she said slowly, her voice hoarse from disuse, but sweet as ever.

“Yes, Lisanna. That’s right,” her sister murmured, now fully crying again and grasping her weak hand. “We’ve missed you so much.”

“I’m so sorry, Lisanna,” Elfman sobbed, completely losing his composure. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“We’re…together,” the youngest Strauss managed out, squeezing both of her siblings hands weakly. It was clear she was confused about everything, and was tired, but she knew all would be explained in due time.

“We’re together,” Mirajane repeated, a brilliant smile on her face despite the many tears. “And nothing will ever separate us ever again!”


	2. Capture

The past week had been a flutter of activity for the Strauss family. Lisanna slowly worked on regaining her strength, and had also received many rambunctious visitors. “I think everyone in Fairy Tail has come to visit,” Mira said happily one day to her siblings, sorting through a pile of cards with well-wishes. Elfman nodded, packing up the copious amounts of stuffed animals Lisanna had been gifted to take home.

“Well, everyone but Laxus, but he wouldn’t come anyway,” Lisanna said matter of factly, not at all perturbed by it. She still understood the guild as it had been two years ago, and while not too much had changed, her siblings were still working on keeping her updated.

“Well, actually, Laxus doesn’t come around the guild that often,” Mira explained. “As I understand it, he does more and more work for his father.”

“Of course he would,” Elfman grumbled, never having liked the man. “Selfish bastard. Only looking out for himself.”

“So King Ivan is still around, huh? I guess it would’ve been nice to wake up to him being taken down,” Lisanna said with a sigh, looking out her window. “I always hoped the people would rise up and ask Master to take over again.”

“Sometimes people try, but Ivan has an elite squad of mages designed to put those rebellions down,” Elfman replied forlornly. “People get sent to prison for even speaking out against him.”

“I don’t get it, why don’t all the guilds band together and take the country back?” Lisanna asked, starting to get upset. “Why has everyone become so passive?! Especially Fairy Tail! Laxus is a jerk but even he must- ”

“That’s enough, Lisanna!” Mirajane hissed, as she looked around nervously for a moment, before getting up to shut the door. “Listen, people have had that idea before, but all it brought was trouble. A guild by the name of Cait Shelter was totally wiped out, and there was only one survivor, a little girl named Wendy. We found her and took her in, but we still don’t know what they even did to warrant the attack.” She sat again, occasionally flicking her eyes to door, keeping her voice quiet. “I know its upsetting, but you mustn’t speak of it again. Its gotten worse since you’ve been sleeping and I don’t want to bear losing you another time.”

“But Mira-“

“No, Lisanna. People disappear everyday. Master doesn’t want anyone to get themselves imprisoned or killed. He says we’ll know when the time is right, and he says it just isn’t right yet. So until that day, not another word, ok?” Mira continued, her voice even softer, but flecked with a dangerous tone Lisanna remembered all too well. The younger Strauss lowered her head.

“Ok.”

“Wonderful, and now that that’s settled, it’s high time I left for work. I’ll see you tomorrow when you get to go home, and Elfman, I’ll see you tonight,” she said, collecting her bag, and giving them each a hug. “Goodbye then, I love you.”

Giving one more smile, she left the hospital and headed to her shift at the guild, where she’d tend to the bar until closing time. It was as rambunctious as always when she arrived, and everyone greeted her happily. Kinana smiled brightly as she approached, and the Master waved his drink in a jolly fashion.

“Mirajane, my dear, how are you today?” Makarov Dreyar, former King of Fiore, asked her excitedly. He loved the girl dearly, as she was essentially his lieutenant.

“I’m great, Master. I just came from seeing Lisanna,” she said as she examined all the filed missions for the day. “She gets to go home tomorrow, so you might get to see her here again.”

“Everyone would be thrilled I’m sure,” the man replied good-naturedly. “Though I do worry they might mob her from all sides.”

“Perhaps, but she’ll love them for it. She’s excited to meet all of our new members as well,” Mira explained, counting the money in the cash register. It was her diligence in areas such as this that helped Makarov immeasurably.

“She’ll charm them as quickly as ever, I’m sure,” he said, hopping off of the bar, leaving her to her work.

The day passed quite normally, as Mirajane filed missions for the many mages who worked at the Fairy Tail guild, and served drinks to those more content to sit about. The usual scuffles ensued, especially between Natsu and Gray, or Natsu and Gajeel, or basically Natsu and anybody. Erza put a stop to it the best she could, but that evolved into a full-fledged brawl until Makarov finally intervened. She doled out love-advice to an enamored Juvia, teased Lucy, and cut off Cana when she was near the impressive limit of her sobriety. Tables were wiped, floors were swept and mopped, and the bar was stocked for another day.

Mirajane essentially kept the place running, and everyone knew it.

Makarov had long since left, when she finally locked up and turned to leave. Something felt off, but she brushed it off as an unusual chill, cautiously starting to walk home. After two steps, however, she found herself hitting a wall of translucent purple runes. “No, no, no,” she whispered frantically, as she tried to beat on the small trap. She knew in the back of her mind it was useless, she was stuck for good. This was the work of Freed Justine, a former mage of Fairy Tail, who now worked for Prince Laxus.

She beat off waves of panic, and tried to call on the magic power that slept dormant within her in preparation for some inevitable fight, though it seemed impossible. Mira had no idea if it was the runes or her weakness preventing her from calling on the demon souls she had in her body, and she didn’t quite know why she was stuck like this either. All she knew was that she would fight as hard as she could. There was no way she was willing to be separated from her siblings. They needed her to look after them.

“Mirajane Strauss,” came the voice of a woman, and Mira whipped around to the source, a deadly look in her eye, as she tried yet again to summon her Satan Soul. But it was too late, as even though she felt a stirring of power within her, she came face to face with Evergreen, another of Laxus’ bodyguards, and became a stone statue.  

* * *

 

 Laxus felt a tap on his shoulder, and looked up to see Bixlow smiling over him, the babies whirling around excitedly. “You got her?” he asked, taking out an earphone.

“Yeah, boss. Plan went off without a hitch, although, her magic started to build up again, Ever said. You might wanna be careful in there, eh?” Bixlow said, joking around, ready to lead the way.

“She’s in magic cuffs, Bixlow,” Laxus said as he got up and started walking the path to the holding cell she was being kept in. “And even if she’s formidable, she ain’t as good as me.”

“Yeah, you’re right, I just thought it was funny how nervous Evergreen got. If it weren’t for her eyes and Freed’s runes, the barmaid would probably pound her into the dirt,” the man in armor chuckled, following after Laxus. “She was a scary one.”

“Probably,” he grunted as they reached their destination. Evergreen pouted in front of a locked door, but moved quickly from his path. “Stand watch, don’t let any of my father’s cronies interfere.”

“You got it, boss.”

Laxus walked into the small room, finding Freed perched against a wall, watching Mirajane like a hawk. The woman in question sat at a table, hands in magic cuffs, and a petulant expression on her face. He gestured for Freed to leave the room, and sat opposite to the woman, leaning back lazily in his chair. “It’s been a while,” he finally said, examining her.

“Why am I here, Laxus?” she bit out, cutting right to the chase. She met his eyes, and looked as if she were trying to burn holes through his face.

“Is that any way to speak to a prince?” he asked with a smirk, relishing in how angry she was. She was always the most interesting that way.

“Is this any way to treat a defenseless woman?” she snarled. His smirk fell, and he became all business.

“You’re Gramps’ right hand. You probably know everything about everything about that dump, maybe even more than him,” he observed, meeting her gaze evenly. “Tell me about Lumen Histoire.”

“Lumen Histoire?” Mirajane asked, repeating the words as if they felt funny on her tongue. “I don’t know what that even is.”

“Surely you must know something, some deep, dark guild secret,” he prodded, wondering if this whole operation was even worth it. “That building gets destroyed all the time, and according to the King, Gramps took something from this castle and keeps it in that building.”

“I honestly don’t know anything about that, Laxus. Master never speaks of his time on the throne or this castle. _If_ there is something hidden in the guild, Master has never spoken of it, and certainly not to me,” she replied irritably, as if her time was being wasted. His fist tightened under the table, and he refused to show her his frustration.

“There’s absolutely no special knowledge you possess? Don’t kid yourself, Mirajane, he trusts you more than anyone,” he bit out, a little more bitter than he meant to be.

“No! There isn’t! And I would like very much to go home now,” Mira demanded, looking at her hands.

“How do I know you aren’t hiding something? Lying to your prince is a crime,” he reminded, almost desperate.

“Laxus, I’m not lying to you. I know nothing. I’m honestly wasting your time, and you’re wasting mine,” she chided, trying to remain above it all, but betraying her own desperation.

“Mira,” he spoke, summoning her eyes to his own. They were wet, even though it was clear she refused to cry. “What’s wrong?” It was the most gentle he’d been the whole night.

“Lisanna woke up,” she whispered, his eyes widening by a fraction. Before he could respond, his father entered the room quite suddenly, a grim smirk on his face.

“Laxus, why are you making this poor girl cry?” Ivan asked, sounding more amused than concerned. “Was he mean to you, dear?”

Mira refused to look Ivan in the eye, and Laxus frowned deeply. He had hoped his father wouldn’t catch wind of her being here, so he could interrogate her in peace.

“Tell me, girl, what do you know about the Lumen Histoire?” Ivan asked her, a sinister tone in his voice. She looked to Laxus, but Ivan grabbed her face to meet his eyes. “I don’t know why you looked to him. He’s not going to help you. What’s your name girl? And don’t lie. I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“Mirajane Strauss,” she bit out, trying to look away, but getting her face tugged again.

“Mirajane Strauss, what do you know about the Lumen Histoire?” he asked again, tightening his grip on her chin. Laxus watched her as she looked him right in the eye. She still had balls of steel.

“Nothing. I’ve never heard of it, I’ve never seen it, and I don’t know where it’s hidden. I’m just a barmaid, I can’t even use magic,” she said, trying to plead her case with her eyes.

Ivan chuckled darkly. “We both know that’s a lie. You’re quite powerful, I can sense it. And such a great body too. But sadly for you, the truth lacrima in my pocket says you aren’t lying. Which means you need to be put down, since we can’t have you running to the old man and squealing like a pig.”

After hearing Mira’s sharp intake of breath, Laxus felt himself panic. He didn’t even know why, which made him angry to boot. “Wait,” he said, managing to plaster a wicked grin onto his face. Ivan looked to him, an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to continue.

“I wanna keep her as my mistress,” Laxus said. Mirajane gawked at him, a horrified expression on her face. Ivan frowned as well, feeling for his truth lacrima.

“Why would I allow that, Laxus?”

Laxus shrugged, attempting to convince him. He didn’t know why he was trying this hard for someone from Fairy Tail. He had gotten her into this mess, however, so he at least owed her that much. “She looks like a good fuck. Always thought about it whenever I was at that dumb place. I have the opportunity now.” He crossed his arms and leaned the chair back in an attempt to look casual. “Besides, the whores around here are old news.”

Ivan dragged his gaze over her form, making her feel violated. He must have agreed, as he turned to his son, smirking with dark amusement. “The minute she becomes an issue, she dies. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Laxus replied, standing with his hands in his pockets as his father left the room.

“You monster!” Mira shrieked once the King was gone. “How could you be so cruel!”

Laxus turned to her, amused. “I just saved your life. I had to come up with a convincing reason to fool his damn truth lacrima. Now you can live in a cushy castle, and if you play your cards right, you can see your sister again.” He neglected to mention to absolute ghastly nature of Ivan’s court, and the other, annoying mistresses the noblemen kept that she would have to deal with. Especially Ivan’s, his mistresses were the worst of all.

“I don’t want to be your slave,” Mira said, upset with the turn of events. Her eyes began to well up again.

“Relax, you don’t have to do anything,” he said, gesturing for her to get up, already regretting this decision. “Unless you wanna.”

She glared at him for a moment, before relenting. “Thank you. I hate to admit it, but you did save my life.”

He sighed, opening the door. “I’ll take you to my tower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think. This is also cross-posted on FFN.


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